right here on "mad money," i'm jim cramer. i will see you tomorrow. this morning on "early today," economic divide. how americans are reacting to last night's first presidential debate. out of order. fists fly during a sentencing hearing in a south carolina courtroom. and crowning achievement. detroit third baseman miguel cabrera joins one of major league baseball's most elite groups. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello, and good morning. i'm lynn berry, and today we begin with an economic showdown. president obama and mitt romney squared off for the first of three presidential debates last night. in what some are calling a polite war of words, the candidates sparred over job creation, taxes and the future

of health care. nbc's tracie potts is in denver for us. she has a preview. good morning to you, tracie. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. the pressure was on for romney to perform, to back up his ideas with details, taking on the man that even republicans called one of the most skilled debaters in modern politics. the point of this debate was to make differences clear on lowering the debt. >> you said you'd cut the deficit in half. it's four years later, we still have trillion-dollar deficit. >> the way we do is for additional cut, we ask for a dollar of additional revenue, paid for, as i indicated earlier, by asking those of us who have done very well in this country to contribute a little bit more to reduce the deficit. >> reporter: the president insisted romney would spend $5 trillion on tax breaks favoring the wealthy. >> math, common sense and our history shows us that's not a recipe for job growth. >> everything he just said about my tax plan is inaccurate. >> reporter: they clashed on wall street, whether banks

should be too big to fail, and medicare. >> cutting $716 billion from medicare to be able to balance the additional cost of obama care is, in my opinion, a mistake. >> if you repeal obama care, and i have become fond of this term, obama care, if you repeal it, what happens is those seniors right away are going to be paying $600 more in prescription care. >> reporter: the fiercest exchange over health care and jobs. >> i just don't know how the president could have come in to office facing 23 million people out of work, rising unemployment, an economic crisis at the kitchen table and spend his energy and passion for two years fighting for obama care instead of fighting for jobs for the american people. >> we did work on this alongside working on jobs, because this is part of making sure that middle class families are secure in this country. >> reporter: president obama on defense, romney challenging his record, as both now wait to see if this exchange has any impact on voters.

it had impact online. on twitter, the most tweeted event in u.s. political history. lynn? >> all right, tracie, thanks. well, post debate instant polls reveal that most voters believe mitt romney did better than president obama. a cnn orc poll finds that 67% of registered voters who watched the debate chose mr. romney as the winner while 25% picked mr. obama. a cbs news snap poll of uncommitted voters found that 46% identified mitt romney as the winner, while 22% said barack obama won. 32% declared the debate a tie. while the candidates tangled over taxes, bringing up countless statistics and figures of cuts or increases, nbc news' andrea mitchell looked into the truth behind the rhetoric of both candidates. >> let me repeat what i said. i'm not in favor of a $5 trillion tax cut. that's not my plan. my plan is not to put in place any tax cut that will add to the deficit. >> reporter: romney has proposed making the bush tax cuts

permanent for all income levels and then cutting all rates an additional 20%. he would repeal the alternative minimum tax and permanently repeal the estate tax. the nonpartisan tax policy center concluded that mitt romney's tax plan would cost $4.8 trillion over ten years. romney said again tonight that his plan would be paid for, but to pay for those cuts, he would have to close loopholes in the tax code and get rid of some tax deductions, he said, and credits, but he's repeatedly refused to say which deductions he would get rid of saying that he would work with congress to make those decisions. also tonight president obama said his plan would cut the deficit by $4 trillion. >> we all know that we've got to do more, and so i put forward a specific $4 trillion deficit reduction plan. it's on a website. you can look at all the numbers, what cuts we make and what revenue we raise. >> reporter: that estimate comes from the left-leaning center on budget and policy priorities. $3.8 trillion, to be exact, over

ten years. the president is counting money saved by letting the bush tax cuts expire for people making more than $250,000 a year, but he's also counting $1 trillion in savings over ten years by drawing down the wars in iraq and afghanistan. the bipartisan nonprofit committee for responsible federal budget has called that a gimmick because those wars were deficit financed in the first place. and the president is also counting on savings agreed to last year when the white house and congress agreed to raise the debt ceiling. >> that was nbc's andrea mitchell reporting. well, now here is a look at some other stories making news early today in america. and we begin in south carolina with a violent attack all caught on camera. a convicted robbery defendant surprised his public defender with a roundhouse punch to the face after receiving a 15-year sentence. the brutal blow left the attorney with a bloody mouth. the attacker had an additional six months tacked on to his sentence. the trend of bizarre criminal behavior continued in

florida, when a machete-wielding man walked right into a police station. police showed amazing restraint when the man threatened them with the large blade. officers ended the ordeal by using a taser and tackling him to the ground. and in central florida, here's something you don't see every day, hopefully. a 5-foot-tall emu stepped out in traffic on a busy highway during rush hour traffic, taking his time there. sheriff's deputies tried to shoo the australian bird off the bird to no -- shoo the emu -- to no avail. fortunately, the bird's owner eventually showed up and captured him by putting a towel over his head. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's bill karins. i don't know whether it's more bizarre that he was wandering or that he has an owner that -- >> emu farm. >> why not? >> interesting. i'm glad we have dashboard cams for good television. good morning, everyone. yesterday, this cold air invaded from canada, but it has missed most of the west coast, and i know we really were hoping for a

little bit of a cooldown. a few spots have seen it. yesterday was another warm day in the desert southwest, near 100, 80s right along the coast there around los angeles, and the northern plains into the northern rockies is who's getting the cooler air. it was 53 in billings yesterday and even had some snow. and now that chilly air, it's moved as far south as say about salt lake city, and it's moved through colorado, but that's really about it. now that front's going to kind of just sit here. it's not going to make much more progress to the south. that's why i don't think the temperatures are going to cool off much. so, the cool air, northern nevada, up into idaho and montana. the onshore flow's cooled off a little bit, too, over the last couple days in california, and that's going to continue. there are a lot of coastal clouds, you'll be burning off the fog all morning long and then sunshine this afternoon. if you notice the chilly air, it's in the 40s finally through the northern rockies, into 30s at the high elevations, but none of that cool air made it to vegas, at 78 this morning. it's a little cool around portland and medford, maybe a light jacket this morning. you'll probably carry it home this afternoon because we're spending another dry day, an

amazingly dry stretch of weather here and it continues. 84 in medford, 74 portland, and after burning off the clouds in central california, dry in the where we'll still be in the 90s. that's better than upper 90s. i would love to say it's going to rain soon in the west. >> why would you like to say that? no one out west -- >> for something different. a little change of scenery. >> all right, bill, we'll work on that for you. >> it's got to rain sooner or later. coming up, hp plunges. an fbi black market bust, and hiring 300,000 employees? your early morning business headlines are ahead. plus, singing sensation and star of nbc's "the voice," christina aguilera is getting something very special from secretary of state hillary clinton. you're watching "early today."

here are some of your top headlines this morning. 4 people have died and 26 have gotten sick across five states after a meningitis outbreak. the cause appears to be contaminated steroid injections given to those with severe back pain. a massachusetts pharmacy believed to be the source of the outbreak has suspended operations, recalling hundreds of doses. in iran, amateur video shows anti-government protests over the nation's collapsing currency. riot police clashed with demonstrators. iranian currency has lost 40% of its value in a week. health officials warn dozen of weight loss and immune system supplements are being illegally labeled and lack any real scientific evidence. one out of five products bought in stores or online claim to prevent or cure deadly diseases. and remember this? the late crocodile hunter steve

irwin clutching his baby boy as he went face to face with predators? well, that baby boy is now 8 years old. robert irwin fed a crock himself for the very first time at the family zoo in australia. started small there. now here's an early look at how wall street's going to kick off the day. the dow closed at 13,494 after adding 12 points yesterday. s&p was up 5. the nasdaq gained 15. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei climbed 77 points, while in hong kong, the hang seng rose 19. well, a mixed bag of news for wall street sent hp shares plunging to a nine-year low after sending up a big caution flag over next year's earnings. but the service sector grew at its fastest pace in six months in september, while a dp reported the private sector reported they added 162,000 new jobs. according to "usa today" six big chains are hiring upwards of

300,000 holiday workers. facebook is about to test whether users will pay to promote their posts on their friends' news feed. be sure to watch matt lauer's exclusive one-on-one interview with facebook ceo mark zuckerberg this morning on the "today" show. chick-fil-a's president reiterated his support for biblical families in one of his first interviews since his controversial comments over gay marriage. the fbi raided a houston company wednesday for allegedly exporting military technology to russia. 84-year-old oil tycoon t. boone pickens is putting another "x" in texas, divorcing wife number four. speaking of tycoons, thanks to an oil boom in north dakota, one city official says it's getting tough to tell the average joe from the average millionaire. and how do you turn 5 bucks into a fortune? let it sit around for a while. this one given to vice president charles fairbanks in 1905 from the first national bank of fairbanks could fetch $300,000

at auction. not a bad investment. well, coming up, flop in the nba and face fines. wild cards fight on and saints' sean payton returns to the superdome. plus, the first triple crown winner in 45 years. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. well, soon we'll be done with the snow in the northern plains and then another shot of cold air will invade the u.s. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. welcome back. time now to get a check of what's new in sports. let's start with some good news in detroit. miguel cabrera joins an exclusive group of major league legends, finishing with a .330 batting average, 44 home runs and 139 rbis. cabrera has won the 15th triple crown in major league history, and it's the first time since boston's carl yastrzemski in 1967. unbelievable. cabrera joins an elite list that includes mickey mantle, ted williams and lou gehrig. he also will be leading his detroit team to the playoffs. well, the tigers will face oakland in the a.l. division series starting saturday. the a's beat the rangers to clinch last night. texas will play the orioles on friday night in the a.l. wild card game.

the o's were shut down 4-3 by the rays. evan longoria homered three times last night. with that orioles loss, the yankees clinch the a.l. east. the bronx bomber's robinson cano went 4 for 4 with two home runs and six rbis. curtis granderson also added two homers to give new york a 14-2 victory. they're going to play either the rangers or the orioles in the a.l. division series. that's starting on sunday. all right. the national league wild card slot will be decided by friday's braves/cardinals game with the winner facing the washington nationals in the n.l. division series starting sunday. let's get a little football in. the nfl has agreed to allow suspended new orleans saints sean payton, mickey loomis and joe vitt to attend the team's game at the superdome on sunday night. and finally in basketball, the nba has adopted a new anti-flopping rule that will fine players for repeated violations. a league official said the exaggerated falls to the floor has "no place in our game." i think us fans can agree on that, right?

well, coming up, a scare for ashton kutcher fans and words of advice for honey boo boo. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, we're going to tell you about an inspirational cyclist who gives new meaning to the words, no limits. you're watching "early today."

welcome back and thanks for joining us on this thursday morning. continuing with dry conditions, temperature differences on the west coast. that's about it.

we're very chilly and cool in the northern portions of the rockies and some of that has snuck down into northern nevada, today. boise today will get up to about 63. a nice day, portland, medford, all the way down. coastal california, though, burning off the fog the next couple of mornings, and then in the afternoon you should be decent. even tomorrow, doesn't look like a lot of changes. all that cold, nasty weather for the most part missed the coast and is heading for the west. if you're watching in spokane, washington, become an engineer for a day as you learn what it takes to build a bridge at discovery tech build-a-palooza at the spokane public library. that's your "pacific event of the day." ever want to be an engineer? >> my father is an engineer. he wanted me to be an engineer. >> ooh. >> i think he's a little disappointed. well, time now for the latest in entertainment news. the lapd has been punked by a caller who reported shots fired at ashton kutcher's hollywood home. a s.w.a.t. team combed the area and soon discovered the home invasion report was false. kutcher later tweeted to fans that he was safe and sound.

at a state department ceremony secretary of state hillary clinton honored nbc's "the voice" coach christina aguilera for her work with the world food program to fight hunger. >> if i could sing, christina, i would want to be on your team. [ applause ] but since i can't, i'm glad you're on this team. finally, "jersey shore" cast members the situation and paulie d. have some pearls of wisdom for one little girl. you know the reality tv newcomer alanna "honey boo boo child" thompson. they say the 7-year-old star should run with it and go for it. they also predict honey boo boo will become the new snooki because she and her family are just as crazy. you've watched both "the jersey shore" and honey boo boo. >> i think i have a reality show conflict. i didn't even realize it. >> i need a intervention with you. you watch "real housewives" -- >> secondhand watching of housewives. >> when football's not on.

>> still can't get over "the jersey shore" is over. >> i'm sorry for you. it's time now for a first look at ktal nbc 6 news in shreveport, louisiana, where a paralyzed man is preparing to use his hands and arms to embark on an inspirational journey to help others. scott wells is on a 250-mile mission to make life better for people like him. the 42-year-old paraplegic is going to crank his hand cycle all the way to baton rouge. and when he arrives, he hopes people will be motivated to live their life to the fullest, regardless of any limitations they may face. i'm lynn berry and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

well, in china it's acceptable to play with your food. one soldier celebrated china's national day by showing off his unusual talent carving fruit and vegetables into animals. he learned this skill after joining the army and can even carve entire pieces while blindfolded. in just ten minutes, he created a flying white crane from white tuna. pretty impressive. well, that will surely be more appetizing than what a new york artist uses for art. for the past ten years the artist has been creating paintings using his own blood. that's right. he says it allows him to truly bond with his work, making every painting a part of him. the artist has to be careful though. he has already been hospitalized once and has to monitor how much he uses. and finally, one father has found the secret to getting

fussy kids to eat their food. benjamin's dad says it can sometimes take more than an hour to feed lunch to his son who sits in his high chair refusing to eat, but with the help of south korean rapper psy's hit song "gangnam style," his son starts downing spoonfuls with no fuss at all, eyes fixed on the computer screen. there you go, bill. we're helping you out today trying to get the kids to have lunchtime. >> i've been desperate before. i've never tried that one though. i'm not saying i won't. >> my sister uses "mickey mouse clubhouse," and now it's become the go-to for everything. it's the biggest bribe on the planet. it should work. try it >> got to do what you've got to do. it's time for now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. after last night's debates the candidates return to the campaign trail today. president obama holds an event in denver before heading to madison for a rally at the university of wisconsin. mitt romney and running mate paul ryan are off to fishersville, virginia, for an event featuring country music crooner trace adkins. the american gas association will discuss the outlook for

winter heating and fuel ahead of the upcoming winter season. last year natural gas bills were some of the lowest in years due to increased supplies and exceptionally warm weather. and happy birthday to actress susan sarandon. she turns 66 today. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. after last night's fiery presidential debate, senior advisors to the obama and romney campaigns are live with a look at what's next in the race. and a bus monitor whose video of being bullied went viral will be live with details of her anti-bullying foundation. and now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com